Jason Castro stopped by Baseball America yesterday to participate in a chat. What were some of the highlights?
-For the most part I feel that I just need to continue to get repetitions behind the plate this spring and continue to refine the subtleties of catching. In addition, continuing to gain the trust and build working relationships with the pitching staff in order to work more efficiently on the field.
-I have put in a lot of work this past year and offseason to really round out my game offensively and defensively. I have made some big strides to polish my skills behind the plate (blocking, receiving, calling a game) while continuing to adjust offensively to the levels of competition I have come up against in the recent past.
-This offseason was a good one for the Astros as we were able to make some important acquisitions to strengthen not only the pitching staff but the line up as well. If everything happens the way it should I feel that this is the year to make it back in the hunt for the playoffs.
-A few guys who i've had the opportunity to catch who have a combination of good stuff and makeup this past year are Chris Hicks, Danny Meszaros, and Chia-Jen Lo. They all had solid years last year and continued to get better as the year went on.
-I think as I continue to get stronger with age and with continued work i can see myself being able to add some more power to my game as well as the ability to hit for a good average.
-I think that my development in the past year and a half has greatly increased ever since I signed with the Astros. Catching coordinator with the Astros Danny Sheaffer has helped me quite a bit since i signed and given me a lot of advice to get where i am today.
Click the link for the full chat.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
